Effects of intensive pitavastatin therapy on glucose control in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary...

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effects of intensive pitavastatin therapy on glucose control in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: Patients who had ACS with significant stenosis on initial coronary angiography and received successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China from August 2015 to January 2016 were enrolled in this study. The patients were randomized to receive pitavastatin (4 mg daily) or atorvastatin (20 mg daily). PCI was performed within 72 hours after admission according to the current clinical practice at the physician's discretion. The examinations of blood lipid levels and blood markers of glucose metabolism were performed at baseline and after 6-month follow-up using standard techniques. The inflammatory markers, including white blood cell, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fibrinogen, were also assessed before PCI and 24 hours after PCI. An independent adverse event assessment committee evaluated major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and any other adverse events. Results: A total of 132 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into the pitavastatin group (n = 65) or the atorvastatin group (n = 67), which had similar baseline characteristics and PCI procedural characteristics. For the inflammatory biomarkers at 24 hours after PCI, the fibrinogen level was significantly increased in the atorvastatin group; the hs-CRP levels were significantly increased in both groups, however, the hs-CRP level in the pitavastatin group was lower than that in the atorvastatin group. In addition, the blood lipid parameters (e.g., TC, LDL-C, TG, non-HDL-C and Apo B) were significantly decreased in both groups after 6-month follow-up (P < 0.01), but these parameters between the two groups had no significant difference. After 6-month follow-up, the FPG, IRI, HOMA-IR and HbA_1c levels were significantly decreased in the pitavastatin group (P < 0.05) but slightly increased in the atorvastatin group, indicating that the glucose homeostasis was improved in patients in the pitavastatin group but not in the atorvastatin group. Furthermore, the incidence of MACE was not significantly different between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 6-month antiplatelet treatment, the PAR value was significantly decreased in both groups (P < 0.01), but the PAR value in the pitavastatin group was lower than that in the atorvastatin group. Conclusion: Pitavastatin therapy may improve the glucose homeostasis for patients with ACS undergoing PCI and has more favorable outcomes than atorvastatin therapy.